Not to be morbid but let’s face it, we don’t know when it will be “game over”. Bucket lists are fine but if all you do is fill it up and never redeem what’s in there, all that you have is a bucket full of wishes. If travel is in your proverbial bucket, pick a date and start making plans. There’s no time like the present!

2.You’ve Earned It

Chances are you’ve worked hard to get to where you’re at. But what is it worth if you don’t enjoy it? Here are some revealing stats: 86% of private industry employers provided paid vacation benefits in 2012. 1. And yet, studies indicate that 40-60% of employees with paid time off don’t use it all. Travel and vacations provide a lifetime of memories as well as many other benefits. Eligible time off represents earned assets that should be claimed just as you would with monetary benefits.

3.Bargains Abound

Deregulation of the airline industry in 1978 paved the way for lower fares by allowing airlines to compete and establish their own routes. Adjusted for inflation, today’s cost of travel by air is only about 10% of what it was 60 years ago. Aircraft design has also improved providing greater performance, fuel efficiency, and overall carrying capacity, all of which translates into a lower cost per seat. You can go further and get there faster for much less money today than in the past.

The weak economy of the past several years has resulted in an overall reduction in travel. This means that most businesses dependent upon travelers for their success are hungry for yours. Shop around for bargains in everything from airfare and cruises to hotels. Chances are, you’ll find some real deals, especially if you can be flexible with your schedule or destination. Spontaneous travel on short notice can sometimes yield fantastic opportunities as vendors work to put feet in seats and heads in beds that might otherwise go vacant.

4. The Family Isn’t Getting Any Younger and Neither are You

Baby boomers take note:

In the year 2000, 97 million U.S. residents were over 45 years of age representing 27% of the total domestic population. By 2011, those numbers rose to 120 million residents representing 39% of the total U.S. population. 2. We’re all getting older and the kids are too. It won’t get any easier to find the time as the children grow and their lives get busier. They’ll never be at this age again. Commit to at least one annual family vacation. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

5.It’s Good for You (and Your Employer)

Common sense tells us that working too much contributes to burnout, lower job satisfaction, and ultimately, declining work quality. Studies have shown a direct relationship between overwork and health problems. Consider this: The risk of depression for women not taking vacations increases two to eight times and the risk of heart disease increases by 50%. Men don’t fare much better risking a 30% increased chance of death by heart attack by not taking vacations. 3. It’s enough to make you sick. Do something about it: Take a vacation. Start planning it today.

Revenue from skiing/snowboarding is big business. According to the National Ski Areas Association, direct spending at U.S. resorts in 2011-2012 was $5.83 billion. And as the accompanying chart illustrates, visits during the 2011-2012 season were the lowest in ten years.

Colorado is widely regarded as offering some of the best skiing in the country with 30 areas to choose from throughout the western portion of the state, including Vail Mountain which boasts the largest acreage in North America. But despite its popularity, Colorado ranks only 4th nationally in terms of the number of ski areas behind New York (50), Michigan (42), and Wisconsin (32).

Not surprisingly, skier visits are influenced in large part by the amount of snowfall. The 2011-2012 season suffered from drought conditions in many parts of the country and the impacts were reflected in the number of visits. Conditions improved modestly during the 2012-2013 season, though visits remained below the 10-year average of 57.8 million.

While weather is notoriously unpredictable, extremely wet conditions in the fall of this year, notably in Colorado, give rise to optimism for big snow in the coming season. Favorable snow conditions and an improving economy translate into increased revenue not only for the resorts themselves, but also for lodging, restaurants, shops and a variety of others located in mountain communities whose businesses are largely dependent upon winter tourism.

What’s it worth? Plenty. Aside from facilitating business transactions and transporting families to favorite vacation destinations, it’s a major boon to the economy. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 2009 total output for travel and tourism had a value of nearly $700 billion. And the number of people traveling has been on the rise since that time.

During 2012 alone, 66.97 million foreign travelers came to the United States. Of these, 59.5 million or 89% came from twenty foreign countries. Below are the top 10 countries in order of rank and the percentage of change from the prior year.

COUNTRY

ARRIVAL

% CHANGE

CANADA

22,698,986

+6.4

MEXICO

14,509,341

+7.5

UNITED KINGDOM

3,763,381

-1.9

JAPAN

3,698,073

+13.8

GERMANY

1,895,952

+2.9

BRAZIL

1,791,103

+18.8

CHINA (EXCL H.K.)

1,474,408

+35.3

FRANCE

1,455,720

-3.2

SOUTH KOREA

1,251,432

+9.3

AUSTRALIA

1,122,180

+8.1

U.S. Dept of Commerce

Considering the impact that foreign travelers have on overall travel spending, successful marketers can utilize this information to help guide their geotargeting efforts in paid search marketing and other strategies. In addition, by recognizing the countries from which foreign clients originate, service providers are in a better position to accommodate the customs and unique cultural preferences of their guests.

According to the U.S. Travel Association forecast report, total domestic travel expenditures are expected to increase by $36.1 billion this year over last. So, where is everyone going?

Based on the Orbitz Insider Index, top U.S. destinations in order of popularity have historically been:

Las Vegas, NV

New York, NY

Chicago, IL

San Francisco, CA

San Diego, CA

Orlando, FL

Honolulu, HI

New Orleans, LA

Washington, DC

Miami, FL

Boston and Los Angeles also made Trip Advisor’s list in 2013.

Alternate Destinations

Those above are the most popular but not everyone wants to follow the crowd. Looking for something different? Consider the following alternatives recommended for 2013 by Lonely Planet, who also recommends San Francisco and the Gulf Coast:

While hotels and motels have traditionally been the lodging option of choice for travelers, recent statistics indicate a growing preference for vacation rental properties. According to a survey released in April, 2013 by TripAdvisor, nearly half (49%) of the 1,300 U.S. travelers who responded to the survey indicated that they either have or plan to stay in a rental home in 2013, up from 40% in 2011 and 46% in 2012.

Why such a surge in interest for vacation rentals over hotels? According to the survey, 82% of respondents cited savings and last minute deals as the top reasons. Other motivating factors for the choice included traveling with a large group and the availability of more living space. While not specifically mentioned in the survey, it’s probable that greater awareness of the availability of vacation rentals as a result of increased online marketing and guest referrals are also playing a big role in the shift. After all, how many of you remember childhood vacations spent in a personal residence as opposed to in a major hotel chain?

Each type of lodging facility offers its own unique advantages. Here are the most common ones:

Ultimately, travelers are likely to make their selection for lodging type based on past experiences, personal preferences, budgets, travel purpose, size of the group and their relationship with one another, length of stay, and the availability of lodging options at their desired location. For shorter stays and when traveling alone, the conveniences that hotels offer are hard to beat. But for longer term lodging and with friends or relatives who want to be close, but not too close, vacation rentals often provide the ideal accommodations. And if the convenience of hotel room service is a really big deal, consider hiring a professional chef to come in and prepare those special meals in the comfort and privacy of your vacation rental.

You know that effectiveness is enhanced with target marketing. But how do you know which target to aim for, business or leisure travelers? Here are some key facts to help you decide.

Someone once said about marketing that if you do the right things, then you only need to concern yourself with doing things right. But if you do the wrong things, it doesn’t much matter how well you do them. The question you might then ask yourself is: “What are the right things for me?”

The answer will vary to some degree based upon your specific location, business model, facilities and other factors but regardless of what segment of the hospitality industry that you specialize in, certain statistics about demographic trends in the travel and hospitality industry are likely to shape your future marketing efforts. On a broad scale, these trends are influenced by travel purpose, economic conditions, personal disposable income, fuel costs, consumer confidence, and other factors.

Let’s start with the broad strokes: Exactly who is traveling?

According to the U.S. Travel Association, consumers spent $564 billion in 2011 for domestic and international leisure travel verses $249 billion spent by business travelers, a margin of more than 2:1. For domestic travel within the U.S., the margin is even greater with 77% of the 2011 total conducted for leisure purposes.

According to the Global Business Travel Association, business travel has grown less than 6% on average from 2010 through 2012 as the economy has recovered and as many companies are reporting record profits due to a weak labor market. In spite of this, the frequency of business travel was forecast to actually decline year over year in 2012 and again in 2013. Clearly, corporate profitability is not a significant factor.

So what is?

While there is no substitute for a face-to-face business meeting on certain occasions, many others can be accomplished in a much more cost-effective manner using technology solutions that have proliferated and grown in acceptance over the past several years. Are these advances in broadband and V.O.I.P. technologies doing for business travel what e-mail did for the U.S. Postal Service? The implications cannot be denied.

For those businesses with marketing plans heavily concentrated on the business traveler, the target still exists but the bull’s eye appears to be shrinking. In order to respond, businesses must dial in the accuracy and effectiveness of their marketing efforts, consider expanding their focus more on the leisure market, or both.